Newslinks for Friday 27th January 2017

May meets Trump…

“Theresa May arrived in Washington last night ahead of crunch trade talks with Donald Trump that will help shape the way Britain and America co-operate in the post-Brexit world. The pair will attempt to sweep aside as many trade barriers as they can ahead of Britain leaving the EU when they meet this evening UK time at the White House. The Prime Minister will also attempt to secure Mr Trump’s commitment to supporting NATO after earlier calling it ‘the cornerstone of the West’s defence’.” – Daily Mail

…and calls for an end to ‘failed’ overseas interventions

“Theresa May has ripped up 20 years of foreign policy to declare an end to Britain’s “failed” wars of choice. No longer will UK troops go abroad to help make countries democratic and more like ours, the PM declared. Addressing US law makers in Philadelphia, Mrs May declared: “It is in our interests – those of Britain and America together – to stand strong together to defend our values. This cannot mean a return to the failed policies of the past. The days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over.”” – The Sun

Michael Gove: How Britain can help reinvigorate the West

“While Donald Trump may be flat wrong on torture, and appears alarmingly blind to the dark cynicism driving Putin, there is now, at the very least, an opportunity for Britain to use our closer relationship with America to spell out what is required on the international stage. The first requirement is the reassertion of western power. We should accept that Trump is right that others must do more to fund Nato but be uncompromising in our insistence that only a strong, American-led Atlantic alliance can possibly advance our shared interests. We should press for an assertive new secretary-general, like the pro-Brexit former Canadian premier Stephen Harper, and ensure that he helps America woo Turkey and Greece back from Russia’s embrace.” – The Times (£)

EU 1) Government introduces Brexit bill

“Battle lines have been drawn for the Westminster showdown over Brexit after the government tabled the legislation that will finally trigger Article 50. The ‘notification of withdrawal’ Bill will empower ministers formally to tell the EU we want to quit. The text will be at the heart of the impending ‘hand to hand combat’ in parliament – sparked by the Supreme Court’s ruling that Theresa May cannot use executive powers to invoke Brexit. Pro-EU parties are set to try to make dozens of amendments in a bid to hem the PM in when she begins negotiations with the bloc… But the government has kept the bill as short as possible to limit the scope for changes.” – Daily Mail

EU 2) Corbyn faces resignations over Article 50

“A Labour MP quit Jeremy Corbyn’s frontbench today after he ordered all his MPs to back the Government’s legislation to start Brexit. Tulip Siddiq, the shadow minister for early years, said she ‘cannot reconcile myself to the frontbench position’ in supporting the Article 50 bill, which will notify Brussels of our intention to leave the EU. The Labour leader is braced for further resignations after confirming he will impose a three-line whip on his MPs to support the bill, which was finally tabled by the Government today. But the Labour leader insisted he ‘fully understands’ why some Labour MPs representing constituencies who voted Remain would want to vote against the legislation.” – Daily Mail

May ‘preparing to abandon Bill of Rights’

“Theresa May is preparing to abandon plans for a British Bill of Rights after Britain leaves the European Union, Government sources have suggested. Ministers have confirmed that the Government’s plans to scrap the Human Rights Act have been shelved until after Brexit. However sources told The Daily Telegraph that the plans may now be abandoned entirely because Brexit will significantly strengthen the sovereignty of British courts. They also highlighted the Brexit judgement by the Supreme Courtearlier this week which made clear that Britain will no longer be subject to European Court of Justice rulings after Brexit.” – Daily Telegraph

Britain enjoying fastest growth in the G7

“Britain grew at the fastest pace of all G7 leading nations last year and the economy did not skip a beat after the Brexit vote, official figures have confirmed. The gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 0.6 per cent in the final three months of 2016, the same rate of growth as in the previous two quarters, in stark contrast to the Treasury’s warning before the referendum that the country would slip into recession if it voted to leave the EU. Over the year as a whole, Britain grew by 2 per cent, down from 2.2 per cent in 2015 but better than estimates for growth in the rest of the G7, including the US. Britain has now topped the world’s leading economies for two of the past three years.” – The Times (£)

Watchdog criticised over Osborne’s new role

“A Whitehall watchdog was accused of an extraordinary cover-up last night over the lucrative investment job given to George Osborne’s former top aide. Rupert Harrison, nicknamed ‘the real Chancellor’ when he was Mr Osborne’s chief-of-staff, got a six-figure salary to work for asset management firm BlackRock two years ago. But now it has emerged that the official appointments committee, Acoba, was reprimanded for approving the job without disclosing meetings he held with the firm while he worked for the ex-chancellor.” – Daily Mail

Highly-paid job suggests the former Chancellor is in it for himself – Jane Merrick, Times Red Box

Tam Dalyell, ‘dissenter’ against devolution, dies

“Former Labour MP Tam Dalyell – one of parliament’s most eloquent and astute dissenters – has died after a short illness aged 84. He was famed for warning the Labour government against devolving power to Scotland, saying it would become a ‘motorway to Scottish independence with no exit routes’. His appetite for pointing out the constitutional anomaly which allowed MPs from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to vote on English-only legislation was named the ‘West Lothian Question’, after his then constituency – by his friend Enoch Powell.” – Daily Mail

Super-rich paying £1 billion less tax after ‘special treatment’ by HMRC – The Times (£)

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